What was the most unexpected surprise for you?

Who's predictions were the closest?

This is a election results open thread.

Big surprises?

Who is "TONI STRICKLAND"? ( Look at county results for the Republican Central Committee)

Marta Jorgensen in the early lead?

Anything else?

What surprised you the most?

Results were as of about 9PM.

( Why aren't there more local youtube uploads? Thanks to the few that do!)

From state assembly to the propositions and everything in between, what are your predictions?

This is an open thread about Tuesday. If you see a late mailer or last minute campaigning discuss it here.

Even though they are not running against each other technically, who will get more votes? Hannah Beth Jackson or Tony Strickland?

What about CA 24? Will Tenenbaum increase his performance from last time? Which Democrat has done the most in the last few weeks of the campaign?

Feel free to discuss presidential primaries or the Democratic Party meeting on what to do about Michigan and Florida.

If your predictions in the congressional / assembly / state senate campaigns are the closest you will choose the pictures I use on an entry. Go to work!

This is an open thread!

It might not have the cache of a Superdelegate but Republican Michael Tenenbaum has earned the endorsement of a former local elected official that represented Simi Valley for many years at the local and state level.

Can you guess who it is before you click on continue reading for a picture and press release?

UPDATE: Tenenbaum was out walking precincts as he ridiculed Rep. Gallegly's record on the environment.

( Al Gore making important remarks about same sex marriage and family life.)

It is assumed that grassroots groups across the state will gear up for the expected battle over Marriage Equality/ Same Sex Marriage on November's ballot.

I will post information from local groups on either side of this issue as they are sent in.

The Stonewall Democrats of Ventura County is organizing to defend the court ruling and keep marriage between same sex people legal past November. I expect they will share with is how this court ruling has impacted them and their families.

A few polls have been released on the subject. The LA Times Poll and The Field Poll show different numbers but the overall trend is about even between the two. I think the battle will be won by how it is explained to voters.

If same sex marriage supporters say passing the amendment will remove rights from gay families it will fail. But if the other side convinces enough people that civil unions will not be impacted they have a much better chance.

Polls on the subject show a clear difference in views depending on a person's age.

I am curious if age has anything to do with the views of readers on my blog on marriage equality / same sex marriage.

Leave you thoughts and your age.

To leave a comment on this blog you don't need to register or use your real name. If you want round off your age for privacy.

Also, I am curious what your social security number is and your bank account as a friend would like to deposit money in your account.

Hannah Beth Jackson supports civil unions, but I don't know her position on marriage.

Tony Strickland is against same sex marriage and against civil unions.

Stonewall Democrats, being that the google ratings push my blog when you search for your club, feel free for this to be your official place to blog.

The Rev. John Southwick will be talking about and answering questions from readers in regards to The proposed development in Simi Valley called Runkle Canyon or Runkledyne by critics.

You can read the background to the current debate by going through the pages of press clippings at this link.

My questions for this group:

What local leaders have you been able to work with the best in your efforts to make sure the public safety and environment are protected?

Have you brought this to the attention of any local candidates from the state assembly to congress?

Do you hold public meetings to discuss this issue?

What is the URL for your youtube videos? Do you plan to release any more soon?

In other news next week there is an EIR meeting in Simi Valley about the proposed landfill expansion. Has anyone heard if it will be televised?

( Here is a short clip of Greenland I took as we flew over Greenland a few years back.)

As the price of oil climbs higher I have heard a variety of arguments about how we should respond.

They include:
1. Drill More ( Rep. Gallegly).
2. Drive less or smaller vehicles ( Not Rep. Gallegly).
3. Cut gas taxes ( McCain and Clinton).
4. Get OPEC/The Saudi's to help us out.
5. Open the Strategic Oil Reserves or stop filling them.
6. Mandate better mileage standards on vehicles sold.
7. Invest in mass transit with the boom from gas taxes.
8. Invest in alternative energy including wind ( Gallegly again. Although not sure the direct connection to gas prices. It is hard to make wind energy into something most cars use.), Wave ( Alternative Energy Executive Tony Strickland), Nuclear, and other sources.
9. Check your tire pressure more often.
10. .

I am most interested in solutions that reduce short and long term oil demand.

We must do something about climate change, even if Peter Foy doesn't believe the world is heating up. If you have changed positions or you were quoted wrong Peter Foy send me an email and I will correct myself.

So, what are your preference for rising fuel prices?

Thanks to Moorpark City Council Member Keith Millhouse for the topic suggestion.

Sandy Emberland, Francis Okyere, Penny Strowger, George Corbin & Sylvia Navarro.

This Tuesday party members not only vote in their primaries but we also vote for the leaders of our local party.

The group above is running as a team to represent Democrats on the central committee. To read the list of all the candidates click here.

If you are planning to vote in this contest what questions do you have for the candidates?

If you are running for a seat on your central committee send in a statement and I will post it.

My first question:

Do you believe Hillary Clinton should drop out or take it to the convention if she is behind in total delegates next week?

Not a big surprise but Tony Strickland's campaign will be out this weekend. Click on continue reading for details. His campaign sure does many precinct walks. Do you think precinct walks are as effective as they once were? I do know that it shows a campaign has energy behind it.

Have you seen Hannah Beth Jackson's campaign doing anything new recently? She was in Simi Valley speaking to a large group of supporters as they started to organize a local contingent on her behalf.

Her Myspace page is growing quickly.

Tony Strickland uses Facebook only. If you use it you know how to find him.

It looks like McCain has a youtube problem. Celebrating your birthday during Katrina? Forgetting what you said? Getting corrected by Lieberman? Against/for Bush's tax cuts? The economy is worse/better? Baghdad is safe? He is doing a poor job of energizing creative web users.

In an effort to moveon past the primaries local Barack Obama supporters are announcing their organizational meetings and plans for this summer.

Click on continue reading for details.

How come no Hillary Clinton or John McCain supporter is announcing any local events?

Where is the Myspace, Meet Up, or other websites for them? I have seen a couple start some effort but not really put something out there.

Barack Obama team wants to win all across the United States of America. It is tough to do from a campaign HQ but much easier when you inspire people to rise up to take control over the government again.

This might have a powerful impact on other campaigns. Democrats will be coordinating resources to GOTV and amplify their message. Republicans will be lead by the Strickland campaign. Tony has been a very effective campaigning in the past but a GOTV by one candidate might be really tough. Maybe Tony and Elton will team up.

If your group has events coming up email me the details.

"Mighty Whitey." for Judge? ( Click on continue reading for the story)

Issue or nonissue?

Do referees call late hits anymore?

This sticker is on the drive through ATM at the Well's Fargo on Los Angeles Avenue in Simi Valley.

It has been there since at least Saturday.

The hate of one person doesn't define a city, or at least it shouldn't. This one incident isn't important. Someone's writing below it isn't the point. The progress of America is important. The truth that in America it doesn't matter who you start out is much more important than random racial screeds. We should be more proud that we are willing to be critical of ourselves and change when we are wrong. That is revolutionary in world history. It is one of our core values.

Barack Obama has been attacked for his race, his ethnic heritage, and he is the victim of countless email hoaxes which deny that he is a devout Christian.

But just like the internet at times unleashes the worst in people, other anonymous forms of communication bring out the evil in people.

People argue that it is a part of the process. They point to the smear tactics deployed against his rivals and past politicians. But that doesn't have to be a fact. If we responded with moral conviction when a friend, coworker, or family member passed on these contagions, if we shut down the vectors of infection, our political immune system would be stronger for it.

I am not discouraged by the racism in America, because racism doesn't define the American soul. That battle was fought and America won. I have hope that our children will grow up in where race is not a barrier to achievement and the walls will continue to tumble down as they have been doing for generations.

I have The Audacity of Hope in my heart that sustains me even when facts don't encourage us. Hope that a flawed human has the gift to uplift us with a sermon. That we will overcome past injustices to build a better world. I have hope in my heart that we are bigger than our problems.

To quote Barack Obama:

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been
anything false about hope.

Will you join me in prayer?

( Rep. Gallegly arguing on behalf of the troop surge.)

There is a new Ventura County based blog devoted to ending the war in Iraq. The war is not very popular in public opinion polls but yet the level of activism against the war has been pretty subdued.

Has your position on the war shifted since the start or run up to the war in 2003?

Click here to see their blog.

Click on continue reading to see details about their next event.

If you plan on going please send in a brief write up and a few photos afterwards.

On a related note watch this John McCain campaign ad:

Did you catch what shirt the woman at the end was wearing? Watch it again before you click here.

Did you see it the first time? Do you think it is really what it looks like?

Here is a new rule:

Do not joke about Barack Obama getting assassinated.

Fox News really messed up here when their reporter joked about taking out Osama Bin Laden and Barack Obama:

It wouldn't be so pathetic but at the time they were discussing Hillary's poor wording. How about this Fox News? When discussing poor word choices, choose your words wisely!

If you haven't seen Hillary's comments for yourself you really should before you form an opinion:

Was it as bad as the way people are describing what she said? What was she thinking?

Of course, there was Mike Huckabee's comments also:

Mike Huckabee did apologize for his joke too.

And of course there was the employee of Salem Communications who thought it fit to include Michelle Obama's response to a question about if she had fears about her husband being killed:

Anyways, New rule: Do not joke about Barack Obama getting murdered. It isn't funny.

What are your thoughts on the presidential campaign?

( If I was on a board I would consider every school playing this on the last day. Maybe not.)

Is your local School Board interesting or boring? Would you rather have it the other way?

A maxim has been attributed to the Chinese as "May you live in interesting times". Read this interesting article for insight on the quote.

The top three school boards that attract the most political attention include Conejo, The County Board, and Camarillo.

To read an update on Camarillo schools click on continue reading. Otherwise consider this an open thread about local schools.

My suggestion: Instead of slagging people down tell us who you really want to run again for a school board seat or who you want to run for their first time as a school board member.

Nominate someone!

Hey, if you are ever hiring campaign workers send me an email and I will post it.

The traffic numbers lately have been huge. Most readers do not comment, but many are interested in getting involved. Especially young people who do not go to meetings often.

Anyways, I saw this ad on Craigslist for a local political job.

Anyone want to fill in the background? If you live in Thousand Oaks how will you be voting on Measure B?

Is it fair to say this is a SOAR like concept adapted to local zoning and development? Do you trust direct democracy or elected officials more? I could try to use more loaded words like " NIMBY style mob rule or career politicians that take money from developers." But that wouldn't be fair.

What is the name of the firm hiring and what connections to Ventura County politics do they have?

On a personal note I am looking to work with someone on drafting local ballot Initiatives. If you have some referrals please send them my way.

( A friend of mine had his car vandalized in Simi Valley for putting a Barack Obama sticker on his Prius. Whatever the desired impact of messing with his car I am pretty sure you increased his level of support for Barack Obama!)

I am interested in hearing the details in this story.

What have you heard?

( Do you remember the Judge Wapner?)

Have you been following the race for Judge? In Simi Valley it seems Jeff Bennett is running with Rep. Gallegly as I see their two signs together. How are you going to make up your mind? Both candidates are Republicans and both have strong backgrounds.

Both of them have endorsements from a wide group of community members. Bennett has the support of previous Democratic congressional candidate Michael Case and Rep. Elton Gallegly. That was surprising to me as Bennett seems to be tied into the local Republican Party fairly well. Roberto Orellana earned the endorsement of The Star due in part because of his willingness to have his confidential referrals be open to the public.

Both candidates attended the recent debate in Simi Valley put on by CPAC.

One of Orellana's supporters, attorney Brian Vogel, sent me this email to post explaining why he supports his candidate. If you click on continue reading you can see Orellana's background.

The following few paragraphs are from Brian Vogel:

I am a lifelong liberal democrat who graduated from Wesleyan University in Connecticut , went to law school, became a public defender, and recently opened my own practice. My wife works at County Counsel with Roberto Orellana who is running against DA Jeff Bennett for Superior Court Judge here in Ventura . Many of us in the legal community encouraged Roberto to run because he is qualified, intelligent, fair-minded (even though he is a Republican) - and every other qualified lawyer was too chicken to run against the DA machine on short notice.

To give you a little background, Judge Bruce Clark retired a few days before the deadline to submit papers for the June election giving no advance notice to the legal community and prospective judicial candidates. The DA's handpicked candidate, Jeff Bennett, submitted papers immediately and held a press conference, probably expecting that noone would run against him on such short notice. Roberto had the courage to stand up and run on very short notice. Please help us support his candidacy and feel free to forward his qualifications to prospective voters and anyone who you think can help out financially. His list of endorsements and qualifications are available at www.Roberto4judge.com and donations can be made via Paypal. He still needs money for automatic phone calls and possibly radio air time.

We have enough white, DA Republicans with no civil experience on the bench already. His opponent was a cop who went to a local law school and then got hired by the DA where he has been ever since. Roberto has vast civil experience and impeccable academic qualifications. He graduated cum laude from Notre Dame Law School , wrote on the Law Review and clerked for a Ninth Circuit Judge. He will also be only the second Hispanic on the bench along with Judge Covarrubius now that Judge Gutierrez retired. A simple comparison of their credentials makes the better choice obvious, yet the political machine in this county makes the overwhelmingly more qualified Hispanic candidate an underdog in this election. If the voters are educated as to the credentials of the two candidates and vote wisely, Roberto should win handily. Thank you for your consideration.

The Ventura County Star's Timm Herdt wrote an article about the contest for nomination to take on Assembly Woman Audra Strickland that prompted me to ask what my readers think about this campaign.

Ferial Masry:

Pluses: On the one hand we have a Saudi born woman that draws worldwide attention to the virtues of American democracy. Ferial Masry, as a high school teacher and immigrant, has a important story to tell about our nation and our values. In addition, her son Omar ( full disclosure: I have known Omar for a few years) served in Iraq and helped to show this wasn't a crusader war for conquest but instead a war designed in part to help the people of Iraq. Ferial Masry, just by running, strengthens America's democracy and broadens the base of the Democratic Party. Click on continue reading to read an update from her campaign.

Negatives: Ferial Masry stands very little chance of winning. She has already lost twice to Audra Strickland and I don't see any real reason to see a fundamental shift. In the last two campaigns she hasn't shown the ability to raise the hundreds of thousands of dollars it would take to make this a competitive contest.

There was a debate over the fairness of a mailer her campaign was using. Click here to see the mailer and read the discussion.

A campaign supporter that sends me updates responded to my requests for clarification with this statement:

Ferial made those flyers for this cycle BEFORE Hare was in the race. He got in very late... sorry for your confusion... Renee

David Hare:

Pluses: With a strong connection to the local agricultural community David could reach out to groups not currently connected very well to the Democratic Party. David owns his own small business and could campaign on his experience battling against bureaucracies when trying to get a business off of the ground. David is also a strong environmentalist which seems a natural fit for parts of the district. He also has done a better job raising money.

Negatives: David is being attacked for the legal hoops that he has had to jump through in the process of running his business. I don't know the level of infractions he has against him but most business people will tell you that almost any business has a history of some sort of warnings, violations, lawsuits, complaints, or financial disputes. It is up to voters to see if the charges are serious or frivolous. From what I have seen the complaints seem rather minor. I am interested to see how good of a campaign Hare puts together in anticipation of the open seat in about two years when from the looks of it Jeff Gorell will be running on the Republican side.

So, what do you think? How are you or did you make up your mind in this campaign? Is asking how much money each candidate raised a decent question?

Has CAPC rated the candidates in the primary?

( News from the largest Barack Obama campaign rally yet. About 75,000 people gathered to hear him speak.)

The Barack Obama Campaign has become a movement. Between the massive online fund raising and record setting crowds it is a juggernaut.

Locally it is the only campaign organizing in Ventura County. Unless the other campaigns are not visible. But running a campaign in secret isn't a great plan.

Here is the link for the Barack Obama for Ventura County Myspace group.

Click on continue reading to see the latest events that Delegate Sandy Emberland is putting together.

I haven't seen any local Hillary Clinton news. Most Democrats realize the campaign is over and Barack Obama has won. Will John McCain make the same mistake and try to run an "experience" campaign?

On the Republican side John McCain is meeting with three potential VP candidates this weekend.

The three include:

1. Mitt Romney
2. Bobby Jindal
3. Charlie Christ

I wonder why, even after stopping Mitt Romney, this man wasn't included:

Do you think Mike Huckabee is being considered by John McCain's team?

Who do you think each candidate should choose as their VP candidate?

I think McCain will pick Mitt Romney if he really wants to win. That choice will help him to end questions about his economic policies.

For Barack Obama I think Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel , Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Gov. Bill Richardson, or Sen. Jim Webb could be good Vice Presidents. They would all also show that how devoted Barack Obama is about a new type of politics.

( Thanks to a reader for creating this image for me. You never answered my email about how we knew each other, if we did.)

I received an email that Mary Pallant's signs are in. It got me wondering. Do you see many signs for candidates in your part of the county?

I see a few Rep. Gallegly signs but that is about it.

Also, I see that Gallegly owns a campaign bus? Has anyone seen it?

Suggest some names for his bus.

I am not making this up. Marta Jorgenson is running again for congress.

If you remember she dropped out and endorsed Jill Martinez. Well, she is running again.

Will she show up to the candidates forum in Simi Valley?

I will update this later but I am about to leave.

She currently has 3 actual friends on Myspace,

Which is the same as Rep. Gallegly last I checked.

Anyone hear what happened between her and Jill?

UPDATE: Click on continue reading for a statement from Marta Jorgensen explaining why she jumped back into the race. If you have questions for her leave them as a comment.

Thanks for the update Marta. I will keep posting things as you send them in.

( If you know the people in the picture, please identify them)

Local Democratic Party supporter and Barack Obama delegate Sandy Emberland has written a report about her trip to the state convention.

To read the whole report and ask her questions click on continue reading.

To read her earlier report click here.

Sandy, are the Hillary supporters admitting that Barack Obama will win the nomination? Do they seem ready to support the party's nominee? Do you think this primary has caused a major rift between the different factions?

( Denis O'Leary's latest campaign ad)

What is going on in the campaigns for seats on the Board of Supervisors?

Which of the following candidates have you seen campaigning in any format?

What have you seen or heard from John Flynn, Denis O'Leary, or John Zaragoza in the 5th district campaign?

What about the campaign between Kathy Long and Socorro Lopez Hanson in district 3?

So far I think the incumbents are safe as far as I have heard. Do you have any reason to think otherwise?

( If Democrats really want to win they are going to need some very creative minds. Check out this ad from Oregon that is a huge hit. In the comments section try to write a script for an anti Gallegly ad)

The Simi Valley / Moorpark Democratic club will be hosting several local Democratic candidates this Wednesday night at their club meeting.

If the election was held today would you vote for Mary Pallant or Jill Martinez?

Republicans, who do you think would be the strongest challenger to Rep. Gallegly?

Mary Pallant has shown to be more effective at organizing the party base ( which she would need to do to build a team to take on Gallegly) but Jill Martinez's background might be able to reach out to DTS voters more.

Either way, this campaign is Gallegly's to lose.

Oh yes, Michael Tenenbaum is also running. He has the most friends on myspace.

Gallegly has made his myspace website so that only his friends can see his stands on the issues and his record of conservative leadership. You can click here to see what it looked like before he blocked the general public from viewing it. Last check he had 3 real friends besides the 1 you start with.

Supporters of the Hannah Beth Jackson campaign, working with The Stonewall Democrats of Ventura County are hosting a fund raiser at The Broken Oak Gallery in Thousand Oaks.

A young Hannah Beth Jackson supporter created this widget to increase traffic to her myspace page.

Click on continue reading for details.

Bonus environmental awareness video:

Does the video encourage you to support any new programs either public or private?

What international causes are you involved in?

I support Amnesty International for their efforts to free political and religious prisoners.

The John McCain campaign is on a firing spree as they prepare for the general election. In the last few weeks they have fired or asked to step down 6 people for their current or former lobbying activities including lobbying for foreign governments like Burma*( Can someone please explain the debate over the name of Burma V Myanmar?).

The Hillary Clinton campaign also reassigned one of their top advisers for his lobbying on behalf of a trade deal that she was against. Mark Penn became such a distraction he was included in the youtube The Empire Strikes Barack video.

And of course, Barack Obama, is not free from any association with lobbyists or developers. He had a powerful patron in Tony Rezko when he ran for office in the past.

I want a list of local lobbyists, their area of practice, and a link to their website if they have one. Sometimes they use other titles to describe their line of work like land use consultant. To the average person it sounds the same but when in doubt add their description for what they do. Try not to make it into a personal attacks page so I don't have to edit the comments much. Lobbyists are humans too. But we need to know what influence they have on our governments from the smallest board to the White House.

In the future I plan to do more with this list. It will make it easier to track campaign contributions and to see how people go from one campaign to the next.

A transparent government is a more honest government. That is why the top candidates and their spouses should release their taxes.

And that's why we need to know who is lobbying our local officials.

If you don't know if someone qualifies add them anyways and we can discuss it.

Consider this a wiki.

The Hannah Beth Jackson campaign has announced several East Ventura County events in the next few weeks. Please click on continue reading for a full listing.

Do you plan to attend the Simi Valley organizing meeting this Tuesday night?

What events in the next few months around East County should the candidates be campaigning at?

The Tony Strickland for State Senate campaign has announced the support of many Simi Valley City officials and other Simi Valley citizens. You can click on continue reading to read the whole list. Rep. Elton Gallegly is one of the most prominent, but so far it looks like a who's who of the Simi Valley Republican Party. Most of them could be relied upon to endorse the GOP candidate in most campaigns.

The list includes the entire city council except for Michelle Foster. Anyone know why Michelle didn't join with the rest of the council? The other prominent names not mentioned are Republican school board members Eric Lundstrom and Janice Difatta,

On a personal note, thank you to Tony Strickland and his staff . Tony has put together a quick responding and young staff. Thanks for your help! I will write about it more later.

I will have a Hannah Beth Jackson campaign update next week. But in the meantime enjoy their new campaign widget:

The campaign for the nomination to take on Rep. Gallegly ( The fighting 24th) is building up in these last few weeks before the election.

Democratic candidate Mary Pallant has announced an endorsement by The California Nurses Association as she tries to build a coalition to win the nomination and to take the battle to Rep. Gallegly. Click on continue reading to see the press release.

There is a candidates' forum coming up put together by a local "Drinking Liberally" group. Democrats will be debating in a bar! Leave some questions as comments here that the moderators can use in the debate.

On a side note this blog has some new features that I need to explain. When i first started I didn't know that categories would ever be visible by the public. So, I didn't make very descriptive titles and I didn't assign every entry a category or categories. But lately I have been making new categories and adding more to the titles. I plan to update the titles as I go along by adding party affiliation and more. But for now don't read too much into it if there is information for one office holder and not another.

The recent comments feature can make it easier to follow a conversation. On the right hand side of the front page it gives a list of the recent comments, who made them, and on what entry they were made on. If you click on the short description it will take you right to the entry. Try it.

Thanks for reading and leaving comments. Traffic continues to grow at a fast rate.

The California State Supreme Court today announced their decision about gay marriage.

Have you read a review of their logic in the court case? Most people will tell you their opinion about gay marriage, and not this court case. Try to look at the court case and share your thoughts on the facts that went into this landmark decision that will be at the center of many campaigns.

California Court Overturns Gay Marriage Ban - Get more documents

The justices made sure to mention that California's courts were a leader in eliminating laws that banned interracial many years ago. Lately I have been reading Andrew Sullivan's blog. Today he posted an entry that discussed how unpopular interracial marriage was for years after that ruling.

It looks like the governor will support the decision and will not help out to pass a constitutional amendment to block any gay marriages.

Fun fact: A majority of the justices were appointed by Republicans.

This November's ballot looks like it will have gay marriage and Arnold's budget ideas on it. What will local Republican candidates will have to say about these propositions? Are they going to be Schwarzenegger Republicans or Bush Republicans? Will Democrats embrace the decision and support it? The popularity of marriage equality in California is much higher than many would think. Especially with younger voters. This makes me believe that it was just a matter of time anyways. Do you agree that most likely in twenty years gay marriage will be legal across the United States of America?

After I get a better chance to read through the logic of the ruling I will post my thoughts on the court case.

( If you know the story behind this picture from Rep. Gallegly's website I would like to know.)

I have heard there is an interesting story about The Ventura County Republican Central Committee's process in endorsing Rep. Elton Gallegly for re-election. Is there some problem with their bylaws because it is a contested primary?

If you know more about this please fill us in. I went to the endorsement page but there wasn't any listings. Click here to see Rep. Gallegly's current listings.

His website also details his positions on three issues: Taxes, Immigration, and Terrorism. See how many times you find the word Iraq on his issues page. Is he trying to avoid connection to the war?

( Rep. Elton Gallegly discussing his views on The Surge)

The VCRCC also has an online poll about the 2008 presidential election. Options include the war on terrorism/Iraq.

I recently wrote about Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) who is the ranking minority member on the Committee on Natural Resources with Rep. Gallegly. It looks like Don Young cannot get anyone to donate to his legal defense bills to attempt to protect him from the criminal investigations he is facing. I am calling upon Rep. Gallegly to stand up and denounce the Bridge to Nowhere and Young's other over the top antics. Even in heavily Republican Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young are behind in the polls because of their connections to illicit earmarking combined with their connections to a shady business. Elton, how can you stay silent on this issue? Be a leader and stop these people from dragging your party down. It is a matter of time before they are arrested or defeated for reelection. And if that doesn't happen they will instead continue to drag down your party. Why not help put an end to their abuse of power?

If more leaders from both parties stood up to their own members America would have more trust in their government.

Former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney will be coming to the area to campaign for Tony Strickland in June.

Click on continue reading for details.

Do you think Mitt Romney would be a strong choice to be a vice presidential candidate?

Although he wouldn't be my choice I think he would help McCain when it comes to economics. John McCain has admitted to not understanding economics enough in the past. With Romney, a former business leader, the edge Democrats have when people are asked about jobs, health care, and economics would be diminished.

For either candidate who do you think would increase their chances of winning?

I think Bill Richardson could be a decent choice for Barack Obama.

Maybe Senator Chuck Hagel or Mayor Michael Bloomberg? Both would prove in a stunning way how serious about practicing a new politics he really is committed to showing.

I have heard former Senator Sam Nunn mentioned and maybe Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius.

Of course, Hillary Clinton is being talked about to form a unity ticket. Would that truly unite the party?

Sidenote: I went over some traffic numbers and they were amazing! Thanks for making this blog #1 in Ventura County politics. Your comments, criticisms, debates, and press releases really help to connect people together. Thanks to all my sources that help us understand our local political system better.

( Barack Obama on technology.)

Ventura City Council Member Bill Fulton writes a blog explaining the tough choices he makes at http://fulton4ventura.blogspot.com/ .
Check it out sometime. Bill, I am very impressed with your efforts to make local government more accessible to the public.

What local politician or group would you be most interested in reading a regularly updated blog from?

I think Rep. Gallegly's blog would prove insightful. I would like his views on many of the Republican Caucus members he has worked with.

I would also like to see a blog from a member of the Simi Valley Police Department about the regular day to day stuff that they have to deal with as they keep us safe.

The City of Simi Valley voted 4 to 1 ( Barbra Williamson casting the only vote against it) to spend $100,000 next year in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce on the Shop Simi Valley First campaign.

Read the article by clicking here.

And check out the Shop Simi Valley First website here.

Do you think this is a wise use of money?

Does a program like this show conservative principles?

Does your city have a program like this in place? Who pays for it?

Can government prove a program like this pays for itself?

Republican Candidate for State Senate,Tony Strickland, has updated his campaign's website.

You can hear his radio ad which seems to tout his support for Governor Schwarzenegger's Health care proposal and his Environmental policies.

If Tony is saying he is a Schwarzenegger Republican instead of a Norquist Republican that marks a welcome shift for him. I will look forward to him speaking about global warming and supporting the governor suing President Bush's administration over his EPA overruling our environmental laws.

How will Hannah Beth Jackson counter his latest green positions? Maybe supporting a local oil refinery in Santa Barbara?

If anyone wants to photoshop Al Gore ( An Inconvenient Truth), Michael Moore ( Sicko) and Tony Strickland ( Maybe in the middle of the other two?) all together send it in.

( David Hare, candidate for the Democratic nomination to take on Republican Assembly Member Audra Strickland. To see his website click here. His opponent is Ferial Masry. If you have pictures oft he Street Fair email them to me and I will post them.)

So, how did The Simi Valley Street Fair go? What candidates did you see? Who did you speak to and about what?

What city is holding the next event where candidates can meet the public in an informal setting? Independence day celebrations?

Ferial Masry appears to be using a flyer left over from a previous campaign. There is nothing wrong with that but in this case it is potentially misleading as some voters would assume the Ventura County Star editorial quote is about her primary election opponent, David Hare when it is actually about Assembly Member Audra Strickland.

I call on Ferial Masry's campaign to clear this up and apologize.

If this mailer isn't really being used currently I apologize to the Masry campaign who besides this incidence runs a very ethical campaign in my experience.

( Yet another Barack Obama song )

Readers:

A local Democratic activist and college student Heather Schmidt is doing a research project for a class. Please help her out by leaving comments and answering her questions. Here is her guest entry:

Dear Bloggers of Brian Dennert Here,

The 2008 elections have drastically shown our community that the Internet is having unprecedented effects on both political knowledge and political activism. This is definitely nothing new to the regular, and even part-time, bloggers on this and other blogs.

In researching the socio-cultural and ethical aspects to this new and fast-growing trend (Internet-politicking) for a paper I am writing on Internet and politics, I would like to include some stuff on blogging. Blogging has become one of the hugest forms of online political activism, and is a phenomena in and of itself.

I am interested to hear more about how and why the bloggers on Brian Dennert Here got interested in blogging, blogging on politics and where you see blogs making the greatest impact in political campaigns (e.g. news, fundraising, gossip, etc). I appreciate your comments to these particular topics, and any other that you may feel relevant to the topic.

Thank you again,

Heather Schmidt

I was alerted that Michael Tenenbaum, who is running in the Republican primary against Rep. Elton Gallegly, is also running for a position in the State bar Association.

This question is for my Rep. Gallegly supporters:

Would you support or vote for Michael Tenenbaum for this position if you could?

You will notice that his bio doesn't include his connections in the Federalist Society.

You can read his myspace profile here: Michael Tenenbaum.

As of this moment he has 131 friends to Rep. Elton Gallegly's 6 total.

The Street Fair is this Saturday. Who's going?

Any word on what candidates will be there?

Here is my coverage of the event from the past.

( David Hare at a political registration and education day at Frontier High School in Camarillo.)

The campaign for the 37 Assembly District Democratic nomination ( Currently Audra Strickland R Moorpark) between David Hare and Ferial Masry seems to have all the momentum going in David Hare's direction.

Anyone hear of Masry campaigning outside of Democratic clubs?

Being that Tony Strickland and Audra Strickland will both be on the ballot would David Hare or Ferial Masry work best with Hannah Beth Jackson as a quasi running mate?

Click on continue reading to read the press release from David Hare's campaign.

From Barack Obama's website:

On May 10th, Barack Obama is launching Vote for Change, an unprecedented 50-state voter registration and mobilization drive. More than 100 events will be held across the country that day. Obama volunteers will register new voters as the start of a six-month voter registration drive.

We can change Washington if more Americans get involved, get registered and show up to vote on November 4th. If millions of new voters get involved, a powerful message will be sent to the special interests that dominate the old politics. This is an important time to find more people in your community to register to vote.

Recent voter registration drives have registered more than 200,000 new Democrats in Pennsylvania, more than 165,000 new Democrats in North Carolina, and more than 150,000 new Democrats in Indiana. Those numbers just scratch the surface of what's possible.

One of the many reasons I support Barack Obama is that he energizes Democrats to organize and stand up for our values. When most national campaigns ignore places like Ventura County, especially when the primary is over, Barack Obama inspires people to keep working to change our nation.

Click here for the details.

The details can also be seen by clicking on continue reading.

Does anyone else ever remember this level of organization after a presidential primary is over locally?

In other news Republican attempts to drag down a Democrat by using Barack Obama has already backfired. Democrats won in a district that supported Bush over Kerry by about 18 points in 2004. This is the second special election ( the other was Speaker Dennis Hastert's old seat) recently where Democrats have won in a Republican leaning district. Is it a sign of the coming elections?

Here is yet another Hip Hop video for Barack Obama. Why is that no other candidate inspires people to that normally aren't drawn into the system? Barack Obama is energizing a new generation for the Democratic Party.

Next Week The California Association of Political Centrists along with the Ventura County Star will be holding a candidates forum for CA 24 ( Currently Rep. Elton Gallegly).

If you could ask any of the candidates including the incumbent one question what would you ask them?

Here are my questions:

Democrat Mary Pallant: Many of the groups that support you are very liberal. Do you think you fit ideologically with this district?

Democrat Jill Martinez: Do you live most days in this district? If you don't , why not move here? Could I suggest a real estate agent to you?

Republican Michael Tenenbaum: What do you know about Rep. Gallegly that you haven't campaigned on? Is there some reason you think you can do better this time while spending less money? Would it be in the long term interest of your party if Gallegly lost in a general election?

Republican Elton Gallegly: When you first ran for congress in 1986 you said

"New ideas come with new blood .... I want to get the career politicians out of Washington and make them go home and live under the laws they've passed."

Were you wrong to run on that idea since you stayed in Washington for so long?

After all these years do is it fair for us to call you a career politician?

What questions would you like asked? Leave them in the comments section. You do not need to register to leave a comment.

On a side note: City Council Member Michelle Foster's website is up for sale. Go to electmichellefoster.com to buy it.

In the campaign for State Senate CA 19 "Alternative Energy Executive" Tony Strickland is bragging about being endorsed by all five members of the Thousand Oaks City Council.

How important are endorsements in a State Senate campaign?

If the people endorsing him open up their list of supporters and help raise funds it will be a great help. The endorsements also serve to make him look like a safe bet for interest groups to support.

I expect Hannah Beth Jackson will get more support from educators and school boards.

Which do you think is more influential in state contests? School boards of city councils?

The Mary Pallant campaign has a new website design up put together by Brian Mack of Corporal Media. If you need a website, buttons, or have other campaign artistic design needs I recommend him.

I have known Brian for a few years and I can tell you he has some of the best graphic design talent around. His company is just starting out but I expect it to be a major player in local political website design. He also is certified to use union labor on his other projects like campaign buttons.

If you need something done and you need it quick, Brian is your man.

Do you know of any cool new political websites? Send them in!

( Moorpark City Councilmember Keith Millhouse is pushing for solutions, not excuses. Click here for a past entry about him.)

In the last few days there has been two articles published about Rep. Elton Gallegly and his priorities on environmental issues.

Click here to read his editorial in The Star.

Here are some quick thoughts:

1. Elton, the ranking Republican on the House Natural Resources committee is Don Young. Are you aware of all the investigations into his background? It might save a sizable amount of taxpayer money if you stand up more often to his outlandish pork barrel spending. A man that proposed the Bridge to No Where is your leader? It is your duty to confront this man before he boondoggles ( has boondoggle ever been a verb before?) again.

2. Do you really think it would be a great idea of California to eliminate our gas tax in the middle of the budget crisis? I look forward to how you expect the governor to fix our budget if he lowered tax revenue even more? Have you run this idea past any local school boards? How exactly was the 23 widening funded?

The second article was about Elton's choice of taxpayer funded vehicles. Click here to read it.

Here is the most important paragraph:

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Elton Gallegly of Simi Valley likes his taxpayer-funded Ford Expedition. He isn't worried that it's not the most fuel-efficient car. It's reliable, suits his mountainous district and is cheaper to lease than many other vehicles. "It's not a Cadillac. It's not a Lincoln. It's a Ford," the Republican congressman said with exasperation. But like it or not, Gallegly and other lawmakers will have to give up gas-hungry SUVs and luxury sedans for leased vehicles that are more eco-correct, such as Toyota's Prius. And some are in a high-octane fit about it. "A Prius isn't made in the United States," Gallegly complained.

I am going to ignore the laughable line about needing a large SUV to get around this district and instead share good news with Rep. Gallegly about the new Toyota Camry Hybrid that will be made here in America. Will you call Elton's office and ask him to at least test drive one? Also, ask what part of the district requires a large SUV to get through.